Scientist says altruism can save your life

Published 5:39 pm, Monday, April 21, 2014

That old baseball axiom is wrong, Stefan Klein argues: Nice guys don't finish last. Klein makes his case in "Survival of the Nicest: How Altruism Made Us Human and Why it Pays to Get Along." (

That old baseball axiom is wrong, Stefan Klein argues: Nice guys don't finish last. Klein makes his case in "Survival of the Nicest: How Altruism Made Us Human and Why it Pays to Get Along." (

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That old baseball axiom is wrong, Stefan Klein argues: Nice guys don't finish last. Klein makes his case in "Survival of the Nicest: How Altruism Made Us Human and Why it Pays to Get Along." (The Experiment; January 2014) less

That old baseball axiom is wrong, Stefan Klein argues: Nice guys don't finish last. Klein makes his case in "Survival of the Nicest: How Altruism Made Us Human and Why it Pays to Get Along." (The Experiment; ... more

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Robert Hoffman, of Castro Valley, Calif., poses at his home, April 1, 2014, with some of the items he's won over the years from entering more than 400,000 sweepstakes. (D. Ross Cameron/Bay Area News Group/MCT) ORG XMIT: 1151534 less

Robert Hoffman, of Castro Valley, Calif., poses at his home, April 1, 2014, with some of the items he's won over the years from entering more than 400,000 sweepstakes. (D. Ross Cameron/Bay Area News Group/MCT) ... more

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Scientist says altruism can save your life

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That old baseball axiom is wrong, Stefan Klein argues: Nice guys don't finish last. Klein makes his case in "Survival of the Nicest: How Altruism Made Us Human and Why it Pays to Get Along" (The Experiment; January 2014).

Klein, author of the best-seller "The Science of Happiness" and a winner of the 1998 Georg von Holtzbrinck Prize for Science Journalism, argues that altruism has been crucial to the evolution of mankind, and that it is the way to health and happiness.

Klein, who lives in Germany, discussed the topic during a recent email exchange. Here is an edited transcript:

Q: There's a lot of hate, greed and bullying on both the individual and societal levels. How does that square with the idea of the nicest winning?

A: Our life together follows somewhat more complicated rules than the law of the jungle. Egocentrics may well do better, but only in the short term. In the long run, it is mostly people and groups who act for the welfare of others as well who get ahead. For cooperation pays off. The secret for nice people to be successful is to stick together. If you carefully choose whom to cooperate with, cheaters will have a much harder time to bully or exploit you.

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Q: How is it possible in a society where wealth is everything for altruism to gain an upper hand?

A: We tend to see wealth as an end in itself. But it is just a means. The end you really aim for is a better life. And many things that make a better life do not depend on wealth. Think of fulfilling relations — or happiness. In fact, studies have convincingly shown that it's not money, but most of all caring for others that makes people happy. The more such findings become known, the more will people be willing to share.

Q: But would it be permanent?

A: Probably. Because first, people will learn from their own experience. And second, it is much easier to act upon others if you see your neighbor do so. Altruism is contagious.

Q: The idea of sharing or of doing something to help others, people do that without an expectation of reward, right? You see a kid running into the street and you grab him.

A: Exactly. In such a situation, you don't even have time to consider if helping will pay off. And in many other circumstances, people are generous even though they know they won't be rewarded.